Naomi Cowan Reps Black Hair With Mielle Organics
Jamaican starlet Naomi Cowan says she’s collaborating on a black beauty campaign for Mielle Organics LLC, one of the world’s largest natural hair product companies.
The Paradise Plum singer made the announcement on Friday as she shared a #MoreThanAStrand miniseries, where she talks about her hair journey and self-love, something that she has struggled with.
In the Instagram video, which features crisp images of Cowan at the beach and among Jamaica’s unfiltered beauty, she begins, “One would think that growing up in one of the world’s biggest little islands as a black woman, would be a breeze right?”
Cowan says that has not always been the case as she has been processing her hair from a young age, and this has caused her an ongoing struggle to love her hair and her blackness. She’s seen rifling through pictures of her younger self in different hairstyles. The video goes on to show snaps of her doing ordinary things like tying up her long braids, brushing, and styling her hair. Cowan is seen with her natural hair, which she often sports in braids, but she also saw for the first time in a cute afro puff-as she smiles at the camera while combing strands of her hair.
The video’s focus on blackness is a subliminal response to the hairstyles that have caused controversies for black women, men, boys, and girls, especially in Jamaica where there is still stigma for having natural, unprocessed black hair in school and professional environment, which Cowan skillfully acknowledges without directly addressing.
It’s a sensitive topic that Cowan hints at since many have similar experiences like hers. “I’m still learning how to openly and freely share that journey with the world through my music,” she refers to her blackness.
Cowan, who is the daughter of the veteran artiste and gospel singer Carlene and music producer and Pastor Tommy Cowan, goes on to talk about the special journey of self-love as she indulges her hair which is much like her musical journey that she now willingly shares.
“With every braid out, every twist out, every wash day, I learned something new about my hair, I learned something new about myself. In those small moments, I changed, I blossomed, I flourish and I become more grounded. I am so excited to share more of this journey with you.”
In a separate post on her Instagram showing her afro in which she pulls at a strand, she says the collaboration is with Mielle as a black-owned haircare brand, and the campaign features survivor stories from women across the world.